Sunday, January 25, 2009

The best explanation about the origin of the human mind is sustained by the Portuguese neurologist Antonio Damasio(Born in 1944) working now in the university of Iowa, who proposes the existence of: 1) A movie in the brain composed by diverse blended multimedia images (visual, auditory, smell) -emerged evolutionarily- with capacity of cartographic representation of events of any part of the human body operating on millions of things and corporal chores. Movie that also cartography things with which that organism interact, maintaining constant the chemical balances of survival. The movie represents instant at instant, the continuity of the organism. Unicellular organisms -without brain- lack this multimedia and 2) The emergency of the self (signaled by pleasure or pain), proprietor of this movie. To possess a self gives advantage for the survival.

3) Damasio doesn't share the well-known position of Descartes (mind-body division). We think with the whole body, says emphasizing that thinking is not an isolated cerebral function. 4) Damasio also sustains that rational decisions are influenced by our emotions. I am human because I have emotions that channel my thoughts. I feel, then I am (exist). Emotion changes our body and brain. The thought is the idea of that change 5) Damasio assures that we can use the brain to always feel cheerful. Correcting representation processes, we will be able to cure depressions, addictions, stress, cancer, infections. To consent to new knowledge, to enjoy artistic works, to have faith, maintains the health. 6) To project our imagination to future aims is the biggest human singularity. Memory, emotions and the language make our organisms and brains unique and special.